Lullaby for a Deserter by Ivan Kushnir

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Lullaby for a Deserter

by Ivan Kushnir

Giveaway ends April 15, 2026.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

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America’s Next Surplus People

 America has always been the ultimate human meat-grinder, a factory that chews up wave after wave of raw talent and spits out the next chapter of its endless hustle.

The Alaska Pact: The End of the Transatlantic Era and the "New Divide" of the World

The Alaskan Pact represents the definitive collapse of the post-1945 liberal order, marking a transition from a world of shared values to a brutal landscape of neo-imperial pragmatism. In this emerging reality, the traditional alliances that defined the twentieth century are being dismantled in favor of a new global partition, a secret understanding between Washington and Moscow that mirrors the dark logic of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. This contemporary realignment is catalyzed by a dramatic American shift toward territorial expansionism, specifically centered on the strategic annexation of Greenland.

The Fall of a Statue of Liberty Replica in Brazil: A Symbolic Sign for American Democracy?

On December 15, 2025, in Guaíba (near Porto Alegre, Brazil), a storm with gusts reported around 80–90 km/h toppled a ~30-meter replica of the Statue of Liberty installed outside a Havan megastore. Videos of the figure slowly bending and then crashing onto the parking lot went viral; no injuries were reported, and the concrete base reportedly remained standing.

The Paradoxical Truth of Adam Smith: Absolute Advantages of Countries in the Context of Russian Reality

Adam Smith, the Scottish economist of the 18th century, is considered the father of modern economics. In his work "The Wealth of Nations" (1776), he outlined the theory of absolute advantage, which explains why countries benefit from specialization and trade. According to Smith, each country should focus on producing goods that it can create more efficiently than others, meaning with lower resource costs per unit of output. Then, through trade, nations exchange these goods, increasing overall welfare. For example, if Portugal produces wine cheaper than England, and England produces cloth, then specialization and exchange make both countries richer.

This idea seems simple and logical, but in the real world, it takes paradoxical forms, especially when it comes to countries with distorted economies, such as the Russian Federation (RF). Russia, despite its vast natural resources, demonstrates a classic example where absolute advantages turn into a trap. Let's examine why the RF cannot compete in "peaceful" sectors but, according to some assessments, has found its "niche" in something destructive—weapons, fear, and terror.

The Shame of False Peace — Why Forcing Ukraine to Surrender Would Stain America Forever

Imagine it’s 1940. London is burning. German bombers rain death upon the city while Britain fights alone. And suddenly, the United States appears—not with help, not with weapons, but with a “peace plan.” The proposal: Britain should surrender to Hitler, recognize his conquests, cut its army, and stay “neutral.” In exchange, Washington would declare that it had brought peace to Europe. That’s exactly what Donald Trump is trying to do to Ukraine today, only the dictator’s name is Putin.

The Green Absurdity: When Electricity Becomes a Punishment

Once upon a time, the Netherlands was a model of “smart energy.”
A green tariff of €0.06 per kilowatt-hour encouraged citizens to install solar panels, invest in the future, and join the movement toward energy independence. You produced clean power — the state rewarded you.

But now the logic has flipped upside down: the tariff has become negative — –€0.06 per kWh. In other words, citizens not only give away their electricity for free, but actually have to pay for doing so.

This isn’t just an economic paradox. It’s the anti-utopia of the green transition, where initiative and trust are punished instead of supported.

America 2026: When People Vote Against, Not For

Forecast: Why the Midterms Could Become a Turning Point — and How They Might Ignite America’s Second Civil War

A Referendum Against Trump

If current trends continue, the 2026 U.S. midterm elections are shaping up to be more than just another political contest — they could become a historical rupture. More and more Americans are preparing to vote not for Democrats, but against Donald Trump — against his rhetoric, his authoritarian instincts, and his attempt to crown himself the monarch of a republic.

This is no longer a normal competition of ideas. It is a national referendum on a fundamental question: Are we still a democracy — or have we become a one-man state? And increasingly, voters are choosing the former.

King or Not a King: How Trump Envies Dictators — and Why He Can’t Be One

When Donald Trump says, “I’m not a king,” he says it the way a child says, “I didn’t eat the cookies,” with crumbs still on his chin. Deep down, he wants to be a king — to sit on a throne, issue commands, punish dissent, and build a cult of personality without checks or limits. And that’s precisely why America is taking to the streets under the banner “No Kings” — because people see that hunger for absolute power growing day by day.

Nobel Prize in Economics 2025: Discovering America Where It’s Already Been Discovered

Sometimes scientific awards resemble long-awaited fireworks that burst not with the light of insight, but with the blaze of something everyone has known all along. Such is the case with this year’s Nobel Prize in Economics. It was awarded to Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion, and Peter Howitt — for explaining that economic growth happens thanks to… innovation.

That’s like giving a biology prize for discovering that a horse walks using its legs. Or a physics prize for the groundbreaking realization that a stone falls downward, not upward. Or a medicine prize for confirming that humans breathe air. The obviousness here doesn’t just catch the eye — it reaches the level of basic truths every first-year economics student already knows.

Putin’s Strategic Mistake: He Chose Ukraine, Not the EU

 

If Vladimir Putin made one decisive error, it wasn’t just moral — it was strategic. He attacked the one nation in Europe that still believes in freedom rather than obedience. Ukraine turned out not to be the weakest link of the West, but its moral core. The Kremlin’s hunter mistook a reflection for prey — and got trapped in his own illusion.

Education tomorrow: AI for the poor, no change for the rich

 In the near future, free public education may undergo a radical transformation. What used to mean classrooms, blackboards, and human teachers could shift almost entirely online, powered by artificial intelligence. Physical schools with real educators will still exist—but as elite, paid institutions for the wealthy. This change would drastically reduce the strain on public budgets, though at the cost of widening social divides and redefining what “learning” means.

The Hair of Time: When Fashion Seeks Wildness in the Heart of Europe

 Paris Fashion Week once again became a mirror not only of style but of the collective psyche. The Spring–Summer 2026 collection from the House of Gaultier, created by Duran Lantink, provoked laughter, shock, and awe. Women walked the runway in bodysuits and leotards printed with images of male hairy bodies — chests, legs, armpits, even penises, all realistically rendered and unapologetically hirsute. Some called it a scandal. Yet beyond the surface lies something deeper: an artistic sensitivity to the spirit of the age.

The U.S. Has Cornered Itself into Isolationism — It’s Time for Europe to Say “Enough”

America is exhausting. That’s right — not “concerning” or “problematic”, but downright exhausting with its indecisiveness, double standards, and the hypocritical mantra: “European security is Europe’s responsibility.” These words no longer sound like a strategic doctrine but rather a refusal to take responsibility. Meanwhile, the same U.S. pressures Europe to impose sanctions on China — without bearing any of the costs, yet demanding full loyalty. But the EU is not a vassal. And the time may come when the answer is just as blunt: “American interests are America’s problem.”

From Labor to Life: The Basis of Post-Capitalism

When Karl Marx wrote Das Kapital, he built his analysis on a simple truth: labor is the foundation of capitalism. It is through labor that value is created. The worker produces goods, the capitalist extracts profit, and wages are the minimal share returned to the worker for survival. The entire capitalist machine runs on this equation.

But in the 21st century, the foundation has shifted. Labor is no longer the sole engine of value. The new raw material is life itself—our digital traces, our clicks, our likes, our searches, our photos, our texts.

Economic Foundations of State Bankruptcy in the Digital Age

Modern nation-states were built on a simple economic promise: collect taxes from the working majority and redistribute them to maintain armies, bureaucracies, pensions, and social programs. For two centuries this system functioned — but today, three deep tectonic shifts threaten to make it collapse: the rise of cryptocurrencies, the erosion of the tax base, and the demographic implosion of welfare systems.

The Fall of Bureaucratic States: A Post-Capitalist Revolution

History teaches us that revolutions destroy not only kings and parliaments, but also the machinery of administration that sustains them. The French Revolution tore down ministries; the Russian Revolution dismantled imperial offices. Today, the next great revolution is preparing to do the same — not with rifles and barricades, but with apps, algorithms, and digital crowds.

The Coming Post-Capitalist Revolution: How Platforms and Users Will Topple the Old Order

Revolutions always begin with an impossible alliance. In 1789, the bourgeoisie and the people stormed the Bastille together. They wanted the same enemy gone—the monarchy—but for very different reasons. Today, a similar coalition is forming. The new Tech Giants and the Digital Masses are preparing to dismantle the foundations of 20th-century capitalism.

Albania Appoints the World’s First AI Minister — The End of Corruption?

In September 2025, Albania made history. Prime Minister Edi Rama announced the appointment of Diella, an artificial intelligence system, as the world’s first AI-powered government minister. Her portfolio? One of the most corruption-prone areas of public life: state procurement.

For decades, public tenders and government contracts have been a breeding ground for favoritism, kickbacks, and backroom deals. By delegating procurement oversight to an AI system, Albania is betting on transparency, efficiency, and a clean break from entrenched corruption. But can technology really succeed where generations of politicians have failed?

France at the Crossroads: AI, Robots, and the New Social Contract

The French political debate often revolves around immigration, pensions, and the clash between centrists and the far right. Yet these debates risk missing the deeper force that will shape the nation’s destiny in the twenty-first century: artificial intelligence and robotics. The “breath of our time” is not only cultural or political; it is technological. And France must decide whether it will adapt or be crushed by the wave.